People Dr Nick Scott-Ram MBE

Director, Oxford Martin Programme on Affordable Medicines

Director, Oxford Martin Programme on Affordable Medicines

Dr Nick Scott-Ram is Director of Commercial Development at the Oxford Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) where he is responsible for working with industry, the NHS and academic partners to commercialise new innovations in the digital, medtech, diagnostics, and pharmaceutical sectors.

Nick has over 25 years’ experience in commercial and business development in the life sciences sector. He has an MA in Natural Sciences and a PhD in the Philosophy of Science from Cambridge University. After leaving university he raised over £1 million for a start-up vaccine company before working in blue chip life science companies such as PowderJect Pharmaceuticals where he was VP Corporate Affairs, responsible for strategy and government affairs. He has also had extensive experience as consultant, specialising in strategy and corporate finance support working with clients including SMEs, Natural Environment Research Council, Department of Health, the National Cancer Action Team and Public Health England. From 2006-11 he was a special industry consultant to the BioIndustry Association working on pharmaceutical pricing and uptake. He played a leading role in representing the life sciences industry position on the drafting and passage of the Biotechnology Patents Directive through the European Parliament in the 1990s. He was awarded the MBE for services to biotechnology in 2001.

Nick’s interests include ways in which R&D pathways and the uptake of new medicines can evolve to support more cost-constrained health systems and also in the role of open innovation systems to support more rapid R&D.